The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui County Council on Jan. 23, 2026.
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Jan. 23, 2026, 9 a.m.
Kalana O Maui Building
To: Maui County Council
Alice Lee, Chair
Yuki Lei Sugimura, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
RE: Bill 15 (2026) — ON FACTORY-BUILT HOUSING AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN THE LAHAINA BURN ZONE
Aloha Chair Lee, Vice Chair Sugimura and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 15 (2026), which would set up a framework for processing building permit applications for factory-built housing in the Lahaina burn zone.
Factory-built homes could offer those displaced by the wildfires who want to return to Lahaina a lower cost alternative to site-built homes. Because of Maui County’s slow permitting process in general,[1] this bill could provide certainty to anyone interested in installing factory-built housing in Lahaina while still ensuring safety.
Further, the bill would not threaten to put Maui’s existing on-site homebuilders and contractors out of business. The state as a whole is suffering from a shortage of qualified construction workers, including carpenters, plumbers and electricians.[2] This shortage means that Maui County must implement innovative changes to allow more housing to be built.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Daniela Bond-Smith, Trey Gordner and Rachel Inafuku et al., “The Hawaii Housing Factbook 2025,” Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i, May 14, 2025, p. 14.
[2] “Hawai‘i Skilled Trades Workforce Analysis,” Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, May 2023.
